From

Thank you

Sorry

CISPA, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act sucks. The bill threatens our First Amendment rights by enabling the free flow of our private information (from private companies to the Federal government and back) in the name of security--without actually improving our security (and without defining the term "national security").

The bill, up for approval in Congress, would allow companies to collect your personally identifiable information in the interests of protecting the "rights and property" of the company, and then share that with government agencies.

Which agencies? The Electronic Frontier Foundation, advocates for consumers' digital rights, has compiled this list, with assist from Wikipedia. The list includes agencies such as the FBI, National Security Agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Food and Drug Administration.

Looking at the list, it seems like every Federal government agency would have access to your personally identifiable information (I haven't compared the list to all the Federal agencies, and these are just the ones EFF has identified. Still, this is a terribly long list with far-reaching implications.)

If you want to learn more about CISPA and its objectionable provisions that threaten Internet users, head to the EFF and learn how you can take action to protect your online privacy.

Melanie Pinola is a freelance writer covering all things tech-related. A former IT admin and occasional web developer, she is also the author of LinkedIn in 30 Minutes, a Lifehacker writer, and the Mobile Office Technology expert at About.com.

The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of ITworld, its parent, subsidiary or affiliated companies.